Dual pass intercooled supercharger

ABSTRACT

The dual pass intercooled supercharger includes a supercharger and intercooler. The system is configured such that air leaving the supercharger traverses the intercooler from one side to an opposing side two or more times.

PRIORITY

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 15/627,271, filed Jun.19, 2017, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 15/007,830,filed Mar. 22, 2016, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,683,481, issued onJun. 20, 2017, which claims priority to U.S. Application No. 62/307,349,filed Mar. 11, 2016, which are incorporated by reference in theirentireties into this application.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, superchargers are used to get additional power from anengine. The supercharger delivers additional air so the engine can burnadditional fuel. The additional air is provided by compressing the airbefore it enters the engine. When the air is compressed, however, thetemperature of the air rises. The hotter air is less dense and morevolatile. Therefore, an intercooler may be used between the superchargerand the engine to cool the air to the desired temperature beforeinjecting it into the engine.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary air to air intercooler system inconjunction with a supercharger. As shown, the system includes asupercharger 2 used to compress the air that is received from theenvironment, through the air filter 8. The air is then directed into theengine 4. In the exemplary air to air intercooler, the air out of thesupercharger is passed through an air to air heat exchanger 6. Thesystem takes in air at a temperature Ti equivalent to the outsideenvironment of the vehicle. As the air is compressed in thesupercharger, the temperature of the air rises to T2 (T2>T1). The air isthen passed through the intercooler to reduce the air volatility andincrease the oxygen level by increasing the air density and reducing thetemperature to T3 (T2>T3>T1). Conventionally, a series of piping is usedto move the air through the system. Before the air reaches the engine,the air may pass by an external portion of the engine or other part ofthe vehicle that is warm, thus reducing the effect of the intercooler.Therefore, by the time the air reaches the engine, it may be at atemperature T4 or T5 depending on its path (T4 and T5>T3).

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary air to water intercooler system inconjunction with a supercharger. This system comprises the samesupercharger 2 and engine 4, but incorporates an air to waterintercooler 5. In this configuration, the warm air leaving thesupercharger enters the intercooler 5 where water at a reducedtemperature T6 is passed by the incoming air. The air temperature isthen reduced to T3 before it enters the engine. The warm water leavingthe intercooler 5 is then cooled through the heat exchanger 6, and apump 10 is used to move the water through the system. This configurationprovides more freedom in the configuration and positioning of theintercooler as compared to the air to air system of FIG. 1, since theintercooler does not need to be positioned at the front of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary conventional system in which thesupercharger is integrated with the intercooler and positioned proximatethe engine intake. The supercharger 12 defines a central chamber 14. Theintercooler 16 is positioned at the outlet 18 of the supercharger 12chamber 14. The exiting air passes through the heat exchanger 16 beforeentering the engine through intake runners 20. As shown in FIG. 3, adiameter or cross sectional length of the runner may decrease from theintercooler exit to the engine intake. Therefore, the runner 20 mayinwardly taper toward the intercooled supercharger exit.

However, the space between the compressor and the engine is limited.Therefore, the ability to control or achieve a desired temperature issimilarly constrained. Typically, in order to achieve the optimal intaketemperature for the engine, the depth, d, of the intercooler must beincreased to provide sufficient cooling out of the supercharger. In somevehicle configurations, such an extension is unavailable or undesirableas the space is limited between the engine and the hood of the vehicle.In order to optimize the reduced temperature, additional space isrequired, either by raising the hood or removing a portion of the hoodand extending the supercharger through the hood surface. Alternatively,the intercooler may be moved away from the engine intake for thedetriment of a higher temperature at the engine intake.

SUMMARY

A dual pass intercooled supercharger is described herein including asupercharger; and an intercooler in fluid communication with an exit ofthe supercharger, the intercooler configured as a dual pass heatexchanger.

A method of compressing and cooling air to an engine intake is alsodisclosed including compressing the air in a supercharger; passing theair exiting the supercharger through a first portion of an intercoolerin fluid communication with an exit of the supercharger; exiting the airfrom the intercooler into a common chamber; and passing the air from thecommon chamber through a second portion of the intercooler differentfrom the first portion of the intercooler. A heat exchange medium of theintercooler may be in fluid communication between the first portion andthe second portion of the heat exchanger.

DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate conventional supercharger systems.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross section of an exemplary dual pass intercooledsupercharger according to embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exterior perspective view of an exemplary encloseddual pass intercooled supercharger according to embodiments describedherein.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top perspective view of an exemplary dual passintercooler according to embodiments described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross sectional view of an exemplary superchargeraccording to embodiments described herein for use with the intercoolersystem.

DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description illustrates by way of example, not byway of limitation, the principles of the invention. This descriptionwill clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use theinvention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations,alternatives and uses of the invention, including what is presentlybelieved to be the best mode of carrying out the invention. It should beunderstood that the drawings are diagrammatic and schematicrepresentations of exemplary embodiments of the invention, and are notlimiting of the present invention nor are they necessarily drawn toscale.

The intercooler is used to cool the air to a desired reduced temperatureto optimize the power from the engine. However, conventional systemsmust increase the depth of the heat exchanger in order to lower thetemperature to an optimal level. Exemplary embodiments described hereincomprise a dual pass intercooler. The configuration permits thecompressed air from the supercharger to pass the same coolant two ormore times to provide additional heat removal from the air. Exemplaryembodiments may therefore achieve the same cooling effect with a reducedintercooler depth.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross section of an exemplary dual pass intercooledsupercharger 30 according to embodiments described herein. Exemplaryembodiments comprise a housing 32 that encloses and directs air from thesupercharger chamber 34 to the intercooler 36 and out the runners 40 tothe engine (not shown).

In an exemplary embodiment, the supercharger 34 comprises a chamberdefined by housing have an air inlet and air outlet. The chamberaccommodates a roots blower 46. The supercharger compresses the air tothe engine by controlling a rate differential from the air intakethrough the roots blower to air exhaust to the engine. Other compressordevices and configurations may also be used. For example, supercharger34 may comprise a screw compressor.

In an exemplary embodiment, the supercharger 34 may be a front drive,rear inlet, having a roots style blower. In this configuration, thesupercharger pulley may be driven off of the front drive system, withthe inlet on the opposite or rear side of the engine. Therefore, the airenters at the back of the supercharger, so that the air inlet system andthe drive system are completely separated.

In an exemplary embodiment, the supercharger 34 may be a front inlet,rear drive, having a roots style blower. In this case, a mechanism isused to transmit the rotational torque to the back of the engine so thatthe air may enter at the front. This mechanism may be a jack shaft. Thisconfiguration allows the air inlet to be at the front, giving a betterinlet air path.

In an exemplary embodiment, the supercharger 34 may be a front inlet,front drive, having a roots style blower. For example, FIG. 7illustrates a cut away of an exemplary supercharger blower cut along therotor axes. In this configuration, the drive pulley 72 and the air inlet74 are on the same side of the supercharger at the front of the engine.This configuration provides efficient torque transmission and a shortand efficient air inlet path.

The air leaving the supercharger is then directed through theintercooler 36. The intercooler is configured such that the superchargerair traverses a first portion of the intercooler through a first volume.The air enters the intercooler along a portion of a first side and exitsalong an opposing second side. The second side of the intercoolerdefines a portion of a perimeter edge of a second chamber between theheat exchanger and the supercharger housing. The air passes through thesecond chamber and through a separate portion of the intercooler. Theair enters the second portion of the intercooler from the second side(i.e. the exit side from the first air pass). The air then exits theintercooler a second time on the first side. The second pass of the airis through a second volume different from the first volume, such thatthe air passes through different lengths of the intercooler. Once theair has traversed the intercooler twice, the cooled air travels alongthe runners 40 to the engine.

As shown in FIG. 4, the dual pass intercooled supercharger includes anintegrated intercooler length. The intercooled supercharger includes acentral chamber 48 exiting from the supercharger chamber 34 and beforethe intercooler 36. The central chamber is the intercooler air inlet. Aperimeter around the first portion is sealed at the first chamber. Theseal 44 prevents air from bypassing the intercooler and travelingdirectly from the supercharger outlet into the engine inlet. The seal 44separates a first portion of the intercooler 36 a from the secondportion of the intercooler 36 b at an edge of the central chamber.Similarly, the second portion of the intercooler 36 b is sealed relativeto the housing 32 to prevent the air on the second pass from bypassingthe intercooler. In an exemplary embodiment, the intercooler comprisestwo common chambers on opposing sides of the intercooler. The firstchamber, or central chamber 48, is positioned between a portion of thelength of the intercooler and the exit of the supercharger. A secondchamber 50 is positioned on an opposing side of the intercooler from thefirst chamber. The second chamber 50 is adjacent the second side of theintercooler and extends along an entire length or approximately alongthe entire surface area of the intercooler second side. The secondchamber is across both the first portion 36 a and second portion 36 b ofthe intercooler. The air then exits on a peripheral region of the firstside of the intercooler through an area between the first portion andthe housing. In an exemplary embodiment, the dual pass intercooledsupercharger comprises one intake through the common chamber and aplurality of exits through runners 40. The exit portions are on opposingsides of the inlet portion. Therefore, the air enters the intercooleralong an interior portion of the intercooler, travels outward throughthe second chamber and portions of the air exits through differentsecond portions of the intercooler along opposing sides of the interiorportion. The second seal 42 circumscribes the intercooler and seals theintercooler along a perimeter of the housing. The first seal 44circumscribes the first portion of the intercooler and seals the firstportion of the intercooler at the inlet chamber 48 from the outletchambers coupled to runners 40.

The housing may also comprise a bypass valve that permits the airentering the supercharger 52 to circulate around the rotor. The air fromthe exit of the blower is allowed to reenter the inlet of the blowerthrough the bypass. This may be used for pressure equalization andminimize parasitic losses.

The dual pass intercooled supercharger includes an integratedintercooler length, such that water (or other heat exchange medium)enters at one or more points and exits at one or more other points. Theentire cooling medium volume of the intercooler may be in fluidcommunication, regardless of the number of inlets and outlets of thecooling medium. For example, the fluid medium is in fluid communicationacross the first portion and second portion of the intercooler. In anexemplary embodiment, the heat exchange medium is water. The heatexchange medium enters the intercooler at two locations, with at leastone at each of the second portions of the intercooler. The heat exchangemedium exits the intercooler at a location within the first portion ofthe intercooler. Therefore, the second pass of air from the secondchamber 50 to the runners 40 encounters the cooler heat exchangeinterface from that of the first pass of air from the inlet chamber 48to the second chamber 50. In an exemplary embodiment, the intercooler isgenerally planar, such that the first portion and the second portion arecoextensive along the depth dimension. In an exemplary embodiment, thefirst portion and second portion overlap along a dimension generallyparallel to the air flow direction through the intercooler as seen inprofile.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary top view of the intercooler exchangerincluding an exemplary heat exchange medium flow path from an exemplaryinlet to an exemplary exit. The exchange medium flow path may bereversed or otherwise redirected as dictated by a specific application.The heat exchange medium may be a liquid or may be other fluid, coolant,or cooling medium. As seen in FIG. 6, inlet 56 is separated into twoinlets 56 a and 56 b at the heat exchanger, and one outlet 58. The flowdirection may be reversed or may otherwise vary to accomplish a specificdesign purpose. Lines 60 indicate where the seals are located to dividethe heat exchanger into first and second portions to permit the dualpass through the heat exchanger.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary enclosure of the dual pass intercoolersupercharger described herein. As can be seen, the intercooledsupercharger housing comprises an air inlet 52, a plurality of airoutlets 54 on opposing sides of the housing and a water inlet 56 andwater outlet 58. In an exemplary embodiment, the air inlet 52, waterinlet 56, and water outlet 58 are positioned on the same side of thehousing 32. The water inlet 56 divides along its length to inject waterthrough the intercooler at the opposing sides of the intercoolercorresponding to the second portions of the intercooler, as discussedabove. The water then travels along the length of the intercooler andcombines at the opposing end before returning through the centralportion of the intercooler and out the water outlet 58.

Not shown, but understood by a person of skill in the art, the waterfrom and to the intercooler is pumped through the system. The water maybe cooled by incoming air at a different location within the vehicle.For example, the water is piped to the front of the vehicle and iscooled from incoming air of the vehicle. The water is then piped pastthe exit of the supercharger. The air out of the compressor thereforepasses the intercooler before entering the engine.

Exemplary embodiments are described herein in terms of a dual pass heatexchanger. A dual pass heat exchanger as it is used herein is defined asa heat exchanger where the fluid passing through the exchanger passesthrough the heat exchanger more than once. Preferred embodiments of theheat exchanger include an air to water heat exchanger where the airpasses through the exchanger more than once.

Exemplary embodiments described herein provide a more compactintercooled supercharger. Exemplary embodiments of the disclosedintercooler are between the supercharger and the engine. Thesupercharger and intercooler may be integrated into a single housing ormay be separate. Exemplary embodiments may use liquid or gas as the heatexchange medium. In an exemplary embodiment, water is used as the heatexchange medium, however, air or other heat exchange medium may also beused. Exemplary embodiments described herein are in terms ofsupercharger applications. The invention is not so limited and may beused in other applications in which a medium is compressed and thetemperature is reduced. For example, exemplary embodiments may also beused with turbochargers.

Although embodiments of this invention have been fully described withreference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that variouschanges and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in theart. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as beingincluded within the scope of embodiments of this invention as defined bythe appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A dual pass intercooled supercharger,comprising: a supercharger; and an intercooler in fluid communicationwith an exit of the supercharger, the intercooler configured as a dualpass heat exchanger having an airflow path from the supercharger thatpasses through the heat exchanger more than once.
 2. The dual passintercooled supercharger of claim 1, wherein air from the superchargerpasses a first portion of the intercooler and then a second portiondifferent from the first portion.
 3. The dual pass intercooledsupercharger of claim 2, wherein the second portion comprises two secondportions on opposing sides of the first portion.
 4. The dual passintercooled supercharger of claim 3, further comprising a housing, afirst seal to prevent air from bypassing the intercooler positionedbetween the first portion and the second portion of the intercooler. 5.The dual pass intercooled supercharger of claim 4, further comprising asecond seal between an exterior edge of the intercooler and the housing.6. The dual pass intercooled supercharger of claim 5, further comprisinga first chamber between the supercharger and the intercooler, whereinthe first seal circumscribes a portion of the first chamber.
 7. The dualpass intercooled supercharger of claim 6, further comprising a secondchamber between the intercooler and the housing.
 8. The dual passintercooled supercharger of claim 7, wherein the second chamber iscoextensive with a substantial portion of the intercooler second side,and the second seal circumscribes a portion of the second chamber. 9.The dual pass intercooled supercharger of claim 8, further comprising aplurality of air outlets directed toward a lower side of the dual passintercooled supercharger on opposing sides of the supercharger, and theintercooler is positioned above the supercharger.
 10. The dual passintercooled supercharger of claim 9, wherein the intercooler isconfigured such that air enters and leaves the intercooler on a lowerside of the intercooler.
 11. The dual pass intercooled supercharger ofclaim 10, wherein the heat exchanger is planar along an entire area witha substantially constant thickness.
 12. The dual pass intercooledsupercharger of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is enclosed in asingle housing.
 13. The dual pass intercooled supercharger of claim 12,wherein the heat exchanger comprises a heat exchange surface enclosing aheat exchange fluid medium, the heat exchange surface defining a heatexchange area, the heat exchanger configured such that the airflow pathfrom the supercharger is configured to contact a first portion of theheat exchange surface, is configured to leave the heat exchange area,and reenter the heat exchange area to contact the heat exchange surfaceat a separate second portion.
 14. A method of compressing and coolingair to an engine intake, comprising: compressing the air in asupercharger; passing the air exiting the supercharger through a firstportion of an intercooler in fluid communication with an exit of thesupercharger, exiting the air from the intercooler into a commonchamber; passing the air from the common chamber through a secondportion of the intercooler different from the first portion of theintercooler, wherein a heat exchange medium of the intercooler is influid communication between the first portion and the second portion.15. The method of claim 14, further comprising passing cooled heatexchange medium into the intercooler adjacent the second portion of theintercooler.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising removingwarmed heat exchange medium from the intercooler adjacent the firstportion of the intercooler.